Anybody ever had the actual mounting tab break on the top mechanism?

[78F350]

A quick look through the scrap pile found this:


The ball identified in mine appears to be where yours is broken. This particular (scrap) part is useless, because i cut part off of it, but I have others.

I'm not sure if it's 1 or (2) in this diagram, but that doesn't matter since you aren't likely to order it from a dealership.


So...
Good news: That part can "easily" be replaced by removing a few pins held in place by clips.

Bad news: You have to remove the whole top to get to it.
If you had an '02 or earlier, I'd say to just replace the whole top. On an '04 you'd do best to fix it. I think that the hinge from any 986 will work, but can't guarantee. My parts are all '99 and '01.